West Ham United would be open to a sensational return to the club for former player Dimitri Payet but financial issues are the major hurdle to a deal, according to The Mirror.
The publication reports that the Hammers’ new manager, Manuel Pellegrini, would be interested in seeing the Frenchman come back to the London Stadium despite having left them under Slaven Bilic in difficult circumstances a little over 18-months ago to join Marseille.
Wages are believed to be a major stumbling block and the board will not meet the 31-year-old’s demands, although they are willing to support their manager.
The club have been busy so far in the transfer market, having signed Issa Diop, Lukasz Fabianski, and Ryan Fredericks already, while Jack Wilshere (source: Sky Sports) is close to penning a deal at the London Stadium as well.
OPINION:
West Ham are short of options in the attacking midfield role and it certainly is a position in the side which is going to need some working on, particularly in light of Manuel Lanzini’s dire injury situation. But with numerous reports suggesting that Jack Wilshere is in the frame to sign for the Hammers, does the club really need another similar playmaker in the side? Probably not. And that is before you even draw attention to the fact that Payet left the club under Slaven Bilic having refused to play, so adamant was he to get his move back to Marseille. Re-signing Payet 18 months after his controversial exit after the club claimed he went on strike would be sensational. But the Hammers would be better off snapping up Wilshere and Wilshere alone, as there is not enough room in the side for a fistful of attacking midfielders and Pellegrini would be risking making his team unbalanced. The 31-year-old was an important part of the Ligue 1 side which finished the campaign in fourth position though, scoring ten goals and a whopping 24 assists across all competitions, putting him on a par with Neymar as the assist-king in the French top-flight.